Daisy Elitha Peterson Sweeney (May 7, 1920 – August 11, 2017) was a Canadian classical music and piano teacher, known for having taught many of the most notable figures in Canadian jazz music.
Daisy Peterson Sweeney | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Daisy Elitha Peterson |
Born | May 7, 1920 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Died | August 11, 2017 | (aged 97)
Genres | Classical |
Occupation(s) | Music and Piano Teacher |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Sweeney was born Daisy Peterson in Montreal in 1920. Her students included Oliver Jones, Ken Skinner, Joe Sealy, Reg Wilson, and her brother, Oscar Peterson.[1] Sweeney would take her students to McGill University for preparatory exams and performances.[2]
Beyond teaching, she also co-founded the Montreal Black Community Youth Choir (now called the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir) with Trevor W. Payne in 1974.[3] She was also the mother of Canadian Olympic athlete and television journalist Sylvia Sweeney.[4] Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre tweeted in August 2017 that he intends for the city to name a street after her.[5]
In 2018, Sweeney was honoured with a community mural on a building in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighbourhood.[6] The artist, Kevin Ledo, also painted a mural of Leonard Cohen in the city's Plateau neighbourhood.[6]